NC Health Plans offers temporary student health insurance for qualified individuals over the age of 19 or students who are not yet 19 can be on a short term policy with a parent or guardian.  These plans can begin as soon as the very next day so your student will not have to miss even one day of class time!

College students tend to be one of the largest demographics of uninsured Americans and universities and colleges all over the country are mandating coverage in order to change that statistic. Over the last few years, more and more colleges and universities have joined the insurance bandwagon as they realize the benefits of knowing their students are covered in case of accident or illness.  Most colleges and universities now require a proof of insurance before students can begin taking classes, which can present an interesting problem.

College classes typically begin in late August or early September, but Open Enrollment for health insurance does not begin until November, with plans taking effect in January.  Unless you have a qualifying life event, you will not be able to enroll in an ACA-approved qualified health plan outside of Open Enrollment and that can leave parents and new students who are uninsured in a bind.

The good news is that many colleges and universities offer health insurance on a semester basis.  The bad news is that many university policies end during the months when school is not in session, which can leave a big gap in coverage.  Even further, many health plans offered by schools are quite expensive or don’t offer the depth or quality of coverage many students need.  So what is the answer?

A good option is short term health insurance. (more…)

Summertime is here and college students are heading home for a much needed break, but what about health insurance?  Although many colleges and universities offer student health insurance plans, most of those plans are only good for the school year, leaving students with a three month gap in coverage.  Because of the rules of the Affordable Care Act, these students cannot simply apply for another health plan outside of Open Enrollment, so what is available to them?  The answer is temporary health insurance.

A temporary health plan can fill gaps in coverage and also offers students the ability to enroll in health insurance when they need it.  In fact, these plans can be in effect as soon as the very next day and are typically very affordable. In addition, you can select temporary coverage anywhere from 1 to 11 months and you can choose to make one lump sum payment or pay monthly, whichever works best.  Short term plans ensure that students have the coverage they need over summer months when they are working part-time jobs that usually don’t provide health insurance and when students are more active than ever. (more…)